Gen. Michael Guetlein, head of the Golden Dome program, headlined a panel at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Washington on Aug. 20 with Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Sarah Mineiro, founder of Tanagra Enterprises. Cramer said he wanted Guetlein to present information about the system to the public.

The event occurred less than three months before the midterm elections and as the Pentagon and Congress confront an unresolved question over how to finance Golden Dome in fiscal 2027. Cramer argued that current U.S. missile defenses are insufficient to address the range of threats facing the homeland and said North Dakota's military infrastructure, including the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System at Cavalier Space Force Station, could support the program.

Golden Dome is the administration's proposed layered missile defense system designed to protect the United States from ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles, drones and other aerial threats. The architecture would integrate sensors and interceptors across land, sea, air and space through a common command-and-control network.

Guetlein described the system as a system of systems, noting that initial funding of $22.5 billion provided by Congress in 2026 has been obligated to about 90 percent. He said contracts have been awarded for radars, space-based interceptors, interceptors and sites.

In a recent test conducted about three or four weeks prior to the panel, Guetlein said the system intercepted all targets in 34 minutes, demonstrating the effectiveness of hardware purchased with the initial funding. He declined to identify the specific weapons or targets used.

Guetlein also said the program gives U.S. leaders additional options beyond conventional strike or nuclear deterrence, allowing defense of U.S. territory against large conventional attacks. He rejected criticism that the program has made little progress since the January 2025 executive order, noting that the program office was created in July 2025, leaving roughly one year of activity.

Congress provided the initial $22.5 billion through budget reconciliation, but the next funding installment remains uncertain, creating pressure on advocates such as Cramer and Hoeven to make the public case for continued support.